Mong Thongdee’s dream of becoming a Thai citizen is finally coming true, nine years after the country learned of his stateless plight.
Born to a family of Myanmar migrant workers in Chiang Mai, Mr Mong represented Thailand and won an international paper-plane contest in Japan when he was 12 years old.
The public was captivated by his story, and the Abhisit Vejjajiva government promised to give him citizenship for bringing honour to the country.
But obtaining citizenship is a complex process for stateless people and the application languished.
The issue came into focus again recently after the dramatic Tham Luang cave rescue in Chiang Rai. Three of the 12 young footballers saved, as well as their 25-year-old coach, were stateless, though they were born in Thailand.
Just weeks later, they were granted citizenship after officials fast-tracked their applications.
That encouraged Mr Mong, now 21, to resume his quest. On Aug 27, he submitted a letter asking the Royal Thai Police Office Criminal Records Division for a records check, after Muang district officials in Chiang Mai requested one as part of the procedure for seeking citizenship.
On Sept 3, he submitted documents to apply for citizenship to the district office. The outcome has been successful, he said.
On Friday night he posted an update on his Facebook page: “Ajarn Venus sent me a Line Chat message: (Congratulations! The Chiang Mai governor has already approved your request for Thai citizenship today. This means you will finally become a Thai citizen. There is just a step for officials to give you a citizenship ID number. This will not be later than Wednesday, Oct 10. I suggest that you go to the Chiang Mai Muang district office to have you name added to a household registration and then have you photo taken for an ID card.)
“I am very delighted and want to thank the Chiang Mai governor for granting my request that enables me to have Thai citizenship and hold a Thai ID card. I would like to thank all teachers and officials.”
About 487,000 stateless people were registered with the Thai government this year, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The country has given about 100,000 people citizenship in the past decade, the UN agency said.
Stateless people include indigenous hilltribes and children of migrants who were born in the country. They have limited work options and are barred from voting, travelling outside their province, and from buying land.
Since 2005, all stateless people have been given access to basic education and healthcare, and authorities have pledged to develop a screening system to curb trafficking, which is a major risk.
State hospitals also issue birth certificates to all children born in Thailand, and there are more job options for stateless people who were once limited to 27 low-skilled occupations.
Mong Thongdee wrote on his Facebook wall late Friday night that his request for Thai citizenship has been approved.
